Chapter 7
What had taken Zev so long? How could he have missed the signs all those years? They were all there, laid out before him as clear as day. It was just that Zev didn’t think it was possible for shifters to mate with humans, didn’t think it was possible for shifters to be gay. Add to that the fact that true mates were incredibly rare, and the only things he knew about them he’d heard from stories handed down from the elders or from watching his grandparents together, and… Hell, not one of those reasons was a good excuse for why he’d been blind to the mating bond.
“I was an idiot. Guess maybe you really are the smarter one, Blondie.”
Jonah stretched his neck up and kissed Zev chastely with closed lips. One kiss wasn’t enough, so Zev reached down and took another. Jonah relaxed back on the bed and grinned as Zev continued to pepper his mouth with little kisses.
“You laughing at me?” Zev asked. “Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought.”
Jonah’s smile graduated to a chuckle. “So what if I am laughing, Hassick? What’re you gonna do about it? Kiss me to death?”
Zev glared at Jonah, trying to keep his expression stern, then he leaped off Jonah, pinned his golden arms down by his sides, and held them in place with his knees.
“What are you doing?” Jonah asked, his bright smile and happy laugh proving that Zev hadn’t succeeded in masking his amusement.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No, if it was obvious, I wouldn’t have—”
Zev attacked his friend’s sides and stomach with a flurry of tickles.
“Zev!” Jonah shrieked with surprise, a blush covering his face for that not-so-masculine sound. He tried to wriggle himself out of his predicament, but Zev had weakened him with the onslaught of tickles so he couldn’t get loose.
“Damn it, Hassick!” Jonah protested as he gasped for air and squirmed under the assault. He laughed so hard that no sound left his mouth and tears streaked his cheeks. “Stop!” It was more a mime than a verbal word because he couldn’t get enough air into his mouth to actually speak. But it was enough to accomplish his goal.
The tickles turned into soft caresses. Zev bent down and kissed the tears off his face, eventually finding his mouth, darting his tongue out and entering when Jonah opened those full lips in welcome. Zev released his hold on Jonah’s arms and melted against his mate. His body relaxed and splayed on top of Jonah’s, his hands combed through that soft blond hair, and his mouth merged with Jonah’s, enjoying the delicious flavor.
Without moving apart, Zev moaned and whispered into Jonah’s mouth, “Damn, Blondie, you’re a great kisser.”
Jonah moved his arms up to Zev’s back, wrapping him in his embrace and stroking his skin. “You’re not so bad yourself, Hassick. You been practicing this with someone without me knowing?”
Zev snickered. “You jealous?”
Instead of returning the smile, Jonah looked into Zev’s eyes and, without any guile, said, “Yeah. I’m jealous of anyone who got to touch you.” Then he held his breath and stared at Zev, clearly waiting for a negative reaction to his confession.
But now that Zev understood who Jonah was to him, he was done freaking out. Completely calm, he gazed into Jonah’s eyes and tried to convey the power of his emotions. “Unless you can manage being jealous of yourself, you don’t have to worry. Like I told you yesterday, I haven’t ever thought about anyone else—girls or guys—let alone touched anyone else. It’s just you, Blondie. It’s always been you.” Zev let his words sink in, then he reversed the tables on the discussion. “What about you? Been hiding out behind the bleachers sneaking kisses with cheerleaders?”
Jonah snorted more than laughed. “Uh, Zev, I was teasing about the whole not-so-smart thing earlier, but now I’m thinking I may have been on to something. That hardness you feel against your stomach isn’t a banana. That’s me happy to see you, or feel you, in this case. And you’re a guy. With that background in place, we can add two and two together here and even someone with your limited math skills can come up with the correct answer. I’m gay. I’ve got no deep dark cheerleader secrets in my past.”
Zev was amazed at how easily Jonah said the words. He admired how his friend so completely accepted this part of himself. No shame, no hesitation. Just a matter-of-fact statement. In that moment, Zev decided he’d take the same approach. He knew it’d shock his parents. Hell, it’d rock his whole community. But he was attracted to a man. He had a male mate. That meant he was gay. Zev Hassick was a gay shifter. The pack would just have to find a way to deal with that truth even though they’d always believed it to be impossible.
“And in case you’re wondering,” Jonah continued, his hand still rubbing Zev’s back but now moving lower, skating over his ass, “I don’t have any deep dark football player secrets, either. I’ve had a crush on one guy for as long as I can remember and I kinda put all my eggs in that basket.”
Zev took another kiss, slow, soft, and sweet this time.
“I better be the egg-basket guy in that story, Blondie, or the tickles are coming back in full force.”
Taking Zev off guard, Jonah responded by pushing up against him and rolling Zev onto his back, reversing their positions. Then Jonah retaliated against the earlier tickle attack by launching one of his own. Zev laughed and wiggled underneath him but made no attempt to buck him off. Apparently deciding Zev had had enough, Jonah settled back against him, pushed a lock of hair off his forehead, and replied to his last comment, completely deadpan.
“Yeah, I was referring to your basket.”
Zev groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing you’re so incredibly good-looking, because your sense of humor is for shit. Was that supposed to be a joke? Weak double entendres do not count as humor.”
“You…you think I’m good-looking?” Jonah hated the whiny, insecure tone of his question, but he was surprised to hear Zev describe him that way.
Zev was honestly the best looking guy Jonah had ever seen. And not only in person; that included men in movies and magazines. His features were strong and masculine, brown hair with a hint of chestnut highlights, remarkable amber eyes set the perfect distance apart, nose the right proportion to the rest of his face, a strong chin—he even had dimples. And that was just his face. Zev’s body was downright incredible. So tall and broad that huge wasn’t an overstatement, and covered in rippling muscles. Jonah was always the strongest, fastest, biggest guy around until Zev walked into the room, and then he felt almost small in comparison. It should have been annoying, but instead, it aroused Jonah. Everything about Zev turned him on.
“I think you’re beautiful, Jonah. I’ve always thought you’re beautiful.”
Zev seemed sincere, the look in his eyes adoring, so Jonah realized he believed Zev even though it wasn’t true. Jonah knew he had a good body, tall, strong, well-defined. But there was something about his face that didn’t look quite right. Every individual feature was fine, but combined they didn’t seem to fit. His eyes were a bit too large for the shape of his face, his nose somewhat small. And he’d never seen a natural blond with black eyes.
Well, if Zev’s physical reaction to him was any indication, his best friend had no issues with his personal appearance, and that was all that mattered. Jonah moved his hips forward, pressing his belly against Zev’s renewed erection.
“Are you already hard again, Hassick?”
“You complaining about my remarkable regenerative powers, Blondie?”
Jonah settled his body on top of Zev’s, rested his head on that broad, hard chest, and sighed.
“I like your regenerative powers.”
They lay quietly together, Zev stroking Jonah’s head, Jonah playing with the hair on Zev’s chest.
“Hey, Zev?”
“Yeah?”
“What inspired the about-face?” Jonah asked quietly.
“What do you mean?”
Jonah didn’t want to tempt fate by reminding Zev of his reaction to their encounter the previous day, lest he run away again. But this was Zev—his oldest friend, his best friend. They’d stuck together even when all the kids Jonah had grown up with told him to stay away from Zev because he and his family friends belonged to some cult. And Jonah knew Zev had faced similar pressure from those very family friends who didn’t understand or like their relationship.
But neither of them had kept away from the other; if anything, they’d grown closer. And their now-former classmates had eventually backed off and even learned to tolerate each other. So standing together, trusting each other, had always served Jonah and Zev well. No reason to think that had changed.
“Yesterday you ran out of here like your ass was on fire when I suggested that you might be attracted to me. And now you’re lying naked in my bed. I’d say that’s quite a turnaround.”
Zev stilled for a few seconds but then continued to caress Jonah’s hair.
“I’m sorry about yesterday, Jonah. I was confused. I just…” Jonah could sense Zev’s frustration, so he stayed perfectly still and let his friend answer at his own pace. “I never thought I could feel this way about you. I’ve been taught that it isn’t possible. So when you said those things yesterday, they just didn’t make sense in the context of my life.”
Jonah had met Zev’s parents, but only in passing. They’d cheered for their son at almost every soccer and baseball game through high school, but a brief, “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Hassick,” wasn’t enough to give Jonah insight into their beliefs. If anything, it was the lack of time spent together that spoke volumes.
Zev had never invited Jonah to his house and he’d never been allowed to spend the night at Jonah’s. While the reasons remained unspoken, Jonah knew it was because he wasn’t one of Zev’s family friends. Jonah respected Zev too much to call them a cult, but he certainly recognized that it was strange, the attachment all those kids had to each other, their unwillingness to let anyone else in. But as odd as they’d always seemed, the Hassicks hadn’t struck him as cruel or hateful. And they’d certainly raised children who were open and accepting. Zev and Lori were two of the nicest people Jonah knew.
“What do you mean, it isn’t possible? Your family doesn’t believe people can be gay?”
Zev was quiet for so long that Jonah wondered whether he’d heard him.
“No, they realize people can be gay, they just…” Zev squirmed uncomfortably underneath him, and Jonah decided to let his friend off the hook. He’d gotten the basic point: Zev’s family wasn’t going to make things easy for Zev, and there was no reason for Jonah to add to the stress by talking about them any further.
“I get it. I’m sorry, Zev. Do you, uh…” Jonah cleared his throat and found the strength to continue his sentence. “Do you wish you weren’t like this? Do you wish you didn’t, um, feel this way about me?”
Zev wrapped his arms more tightly around Jonah’s body and held him close.
“Oh, hell no. Having you for a true ma—feeling this way about you is a gift, Jonah. I’m just sorry it took me this long to figure it out.”
Jonah relaxed into Zev’s embrace. He’d been worried that he’d opened Pandora’s box and was then going to leave Zev alone to clean up the devastation when he moved away for school the following day. But the other man didn’t seem to be struggling with his newly acknowledged feelings. There was no anger, no shame in Zev’s voice or actions. He was the same strong, confident person Jonah had always admired and adored. The thought of leaving Zev had been painful, but after what they’d just shared, it had escalated to crippling.
“Zev, are you sure about skipping college? I know your family wants you to take over their business, but is it what you want? And even if it is, don’t you want to go to college first?” Jonah’s voice lowered as he finished his plea. “Come with me.”
Zev stretched and kissed the top of Jonah’s head, which was still resting on his broad chest. He rubbed the back of Jonah’s neck.
“I can’t move away from Etzgadol, Blondie. I have responsibilities here, things I can only learn from my father and grandfather. Besides, your school is in the middle of the city. I don’t think I could handle being closed in by those tall buildings with no trees or meadows. You know how much I love the woods.”
Yeah, Jonah knew. He couldn’t even imagine his friend surrounded by smog and traffic.
“I’m gonna miss you, Hassick.”
“Missing doesn’t cover it, Blondie. But you’ll be home for vacations, right? School breaks and long weekends and…”
“No vacations. My dad’s moving away with me. He’s selling the house.”
Jonah felt tension suddenly consume his friend’s large, strong body. “What do you mean he’s moving? This is your home. He can’t just sell your home.”
Zev’s voice sounded panicked, and Jonah sensed how Zev’s heart had started to race.
“He just told me this morning. Said he wants to stay together so he got a new job. He’s gonna sell the house. So, yeah, no vacations in Etzgadol.”
Zev’s amber eyes closed, the pace of his breath sped, and his hold on Jonah tightened. Nothing made sense. He’d spent his entire life thinking certain things were absolute and suddenly up was down, light was dark, and true mates were forced to separate. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing that didn’t make sense about the situation with Jonah. The reality was the situation didn’t make sense from beginning to end.
First, true mates didn’t meet in childhood. It was said to be a protection thing. Because the desire to tie with a true mate was so all-consuming, if mates met during youth, they’d tie too young. Having preteens or teens carrying cubs could be dangerous, and the elders had always explained this was why true mates never came from the same pack. Instead, those lucky and rare shifters who were honored with a true mate would feel the existence of the other half of their soul but would be blessed with a meeting only when their physical bodies were ready to make the tie, usually late in their second decade or early in their third. But Zev had known Jonah for as long as he could remember. His earliest memories were of his wolf rolling with Jonah in the grass of Jonah’s backyard.
But it wasn’t only the young age when they’d met that distinguished Zev’s relationship with Jonah from what he’d been taught took place between true mates. The biggest issues, of course, were that Jonah wasn’t a shifter and was a male. Even if a human female were willing to tie with a male shifter, Zev wasn’t sure whether the tie would be sufficient to bind the shifter’s humanity. But tying with a male was physically impossible.
The combination of all these discrepancies should have been enough to make Zev reject the possibility that Jonah was his true mate. But now that he knew the truth, both his human and his wolf would never allow Zev to deny it again.
He rolled them over so his larger frame blanketed Jonah’s, then pressed his nose into Jonah’s soft, white-blond hair and inhaled the fresh, clean scent. He burrowed his face against Jonah’s neck and licked the spot next to his ear tentatively. The flavor of the other man exploded in his mouth and his tongue sought out more. He nuzzled and nibbled, licked and sucked, until he saw that he’d drawn up a mark on his friend’s neck.
Zev raised his head and looked at Jonah lying beneath him, body trembling, heart racing, head arched to the side so his neck was exposed for his ministrations, and wearing Zev’s mark. This was his mate. There was not a single doubt in his mind or in his heart. Sure, there were questions to answer, things to learn, but Zev would figure them out. Maybe that was why Jonah was leaving, to give Zev the time he’d need to understand how to tie to a human male.
Yeah, that makes sense, Zev thought. I’ve been given an introduction to my mate early because I’ll need time to learn how to tie. He’ll return to me at the right mating age.
With this explanation in place, Zev’s body calmed. He’d think and research and solve the quandary of how to tie with his mate. And until they could live together and complete the bond, he’d find a way to see Jonah.
“Well, I’ll come visit you, Blondie. Not sure how frequently I can do it, but I’ll make it work. And it’s only four years. Then you can come back permanently and we’ll be old enough to…we’ll be old enough to, um…”
Zev didn’t know how to verbalize his thought. He wasn’t ready to explain tying and true mates to Jonah. He needed more time to get his own mind wrapped around their unique situation.
“Are you saying you want to do some sort of long-distance thing, Zev? Like, uh, see each other or whatever?”
“See each other or whatever?” Zev repeated the sentence back to his friend slowly. He had no idea what Jonah was asking, and the confusion was obvious in his voice.
A blush crept up Jonah’s cheeks, which Zev found remarkably adorable, and then Jonah stammered, “I guess what I meant was, is this like a one-time thing between us, Hassick, or are you saying you want more?”
Jonah’s question made no sense until Zev reminded himself that his friend was human. The other man didn’t have the same mating instinct, didn’t understand that they were literally made to be together. Zev couldn’t be with another even if he wanted to, not that he could ever imagine such a ridiculous desire.
“There is no one-time thing for us, Blondie. We’re it. The real deal.”
Jonah grinned, caressing the sides of Zev’s face, and he mumbled into Zev’s mouth.
“The real deal, huh?”
Zev bit that plump bottom lip and returned his friend’s smile.
“Uh-huh,” he answered before tilting his head and pressing his tongue into Jonah’s sweet mouth.
Jonah sucked on Zev’s tongue, enjoying the warmth of the smooth skin skating under his fingertips, and tilted his pelvis up against the hard body above him. Zev rubbed Jonah’s shoulders, smoothed over his chest and down to his waist, and clung to him as the kiss grew deeper and more passionate.
“Damn, you feel good, Zev.”
“So do you, Blondie,” Zev replied as he rolled to his side and took Jonah with him. Then he lined up their hard dicks and wrapped his large hand around them, stroking up and down slowly. Jonah looked between their bodies and enjoyed the sight of his friend’s hand moving over their joined cocks. He cupped Zev’s cheek in his hand and pulled him in for another kiss, then ran his fingers lower on their bodies and curled them around their cocks until his fingertips met Zev’s.
They moved together seamlessly, drawing pleasure from each other’s bodies as well as their own. Jonah could feel Zev’s warm breath on his face, hear his quiet moans, and taste his unique flavor as they continued kissing, continued stroking, and allowed the pleasure of their coupling to overtake them.
“I’ve wanted you for so long, Zev.”
The confession snuck out of Jonah’s mouth without thought or warning. The emotions of the moment were too great to allow him to keep holding back the feelings he’d long harbored for his friend.
“You have me, Jonah. I’m yours. All yours.”
Jonah arched his back, flung his head back, and closed his eyes as his body found release and pulsed over the joined hands wrapped around his firm member.
“Oh, look at you, Jonah,” Zev whispered. “So beautiful.” Zev’s mouth found its place on Jonah’s neck and bit gently as he joined him in ecstasy.
As their trembling bodies clung together and mouths met again, Jonah wondered how he’d survive the coming years apart.